The NHS has launched a major new trial across England to test a revolutionary blood test designed to spot cancers early. Called the STRIDE-RCT study, the initiative involves at least 200 GP practices and more than 20,000 patients. Its main goal is to determine whether simple blood tests can help doctors detect hard-to-diagnose cancers at a much earlier, more treatable stage.
What the blood test involves
Speaking on today's (November 4) episode of BBC Morning Live, Dr Oscar Duke explained what people can expect from the new blood test. Host Gethin Jones first asked the health expert: "Is this a game changer for cancers that are harder to detect?"
Dr Oscar replied: "Well, I really hope it's going to be. This is a study which is going to involve 20,000 patients, and it's going to be based in GP practices. And it's looking at DNA fragments in the blood, so proteins that we can pick up in the blood that might suggest that you're at higher risk of having a particular cancer when you've got symptoms."
"And these are particularly abdominal cancers, so things like pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, and they're cancers where you just have some bloating, feeling a bit non-specifically unwell. And often we don't pick up these cancers until they've become much more advanced. They've spread to other areas in the body. Then you start to get more symptoms. And then, of course, they're much more difficult to treat."
Who is eligible for the trial
He added: "So if we could pick up these fragments along with people who have those vague symptoms, we could decide who needs more serious tests and investigations as a GP, but also importantly people who don't therefore, who we can give some reassurance to and say you don't need to have those tests, saving you the time, the stress and of course is a financial saving potentially for the NHS as well."
The trial focuses specifically on patients aged 45 and over who visit their doctor with vague, everyday symptoms. These symptoms include persistent bloating, stomach pain, or general abdominal discomfort. Because these signs can mimic less serious conditions, identifying the true cause often takes a long time. This new blood test aims to speed up that process.
The test works by analysing a standard blood sample for tiny fragments of tumour DNA and specific proteins linked to cancer. It is designed to screen for a wide range of conditions, including bowel, stomach, pancreatic, liver, ovarian, and kidney cancers. Some of these, like pancreatic and liver cancer, are notoriously difficult to detect early because they rarely cause distinct symptoms in their initial stages.
How the trial will work
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Yvette Cooper said: "The earlier cancers are diagnosed, the more chance they can be successfully treated, and lives can be saved. This world-first trial will establish whether simple blood tests can help GPs identify much sooner the patients who need urgent support.
"Innovations like these are a key part of our National Cancer Plan, which will provide faster diagnosis, more effective treatment, and better care for every patient, while also investing in the trials and technology that offer hope of curing cancer for good."
To test how well the system works, participating GP practices are split into two groups. Half of the practices will offer the new blood test alongside standard medical care, while the other half will stick to standard care alone. By comparing the two groups, researchers can see if the blood test truly helps doctors make better decisions.
Health officials hope the test will improve how GPs prioritise patients. A positive result will help doctors quickly refer patients for urgent hospital scans. Conversely, it could also prevent people from undergoing unnecessary, stressful, and invasive hospital procedures if their symptoms are harmless. However, doctors emphasise that a negative result is not a guaranteed all-clear, and anyone with persistent symptoms should still be monitored.
If the trial is successful, it could fundamentally change how cancer is diagnosed in the UK. Catching cancer early significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and saves lives.
